PH Historian Lectures in 2 Leading Toronto Universities
Prof. Ambeth R. Ocampo talks about mapping the Philippines before the era of Waze and Google Earth at York University on 03 June 2019. (Toronto PCG photo)
TORONTO 13 June 2019 — In line with the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and the first Canada-wide celebration of the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month, the Sentro Rizal Toronto of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto organized a series of lectures by renowned Filipino historian and professor Ambeth R. Ocampo in two leading universities in Toronto, Canada.
The event was also in collaboration with the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
In partnership with the York University’ York Centre for Asian Research of, the first lecture entitled “Mapping the Philippines: Before Waze and Google Earth,” was held at the university’s Keele Campus on 03 June 2019.
By showing a series of old maps, Professor Ocampo showed how the Philippines emerged as a nation. According to him, “old maps illuminate our history. Reading maps not only gives us a sense of geography-how the people in the past imagined the islands and how the islands were formed to be the Philippines as we know of today. Studying old maps also gives us a sense of our history, our connections and an understanding of our national identity.”
The second lecture, entitled “Rizal: The Hero as Traveler,” was organized in cooperation with the Asian Institute, Centre for Southeast Asian Studies of the University of Toronto. It was held on 04 June 2019, at the university’s Munck School of Global Affairs & Public Policy-Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility,.
In this lecture, Professor Ocampo traced the travels of Dr. Jose Rizal and shared his perspective on how the Filipino national hero was shaped by his exposure to other lands, peoples and culture. The professor said that it was while Dr. Rizal was abroad that he learned to love his country.
During the lecture, he highlighted Dr. Rizal’s exile in Dapitan from 1892 to 1896, where he noted that it was during his exile that Rizal gave the best that he could be. It was in Dapitan that the Filipino national hero put his learnings into full use and did everything he could to improve the lives of the people there at that time. Dr. Rizal’s spent a great deal of his efforts in educating the young in Dapitan, believing that education is the essence of what he wanted Filipinos to be.
Professor Ocampo exhorted the audience to see Dr. Rizal not so much as a hero but as an ordinary human being. “We must make Rizal relevant in our times. We must remind ourselves that to know Rizal is to know our own capacity for greatness,” he added.
On both occasions, Professor Ocampo delivered his lectures to a full house composed of first and second generation Filipino-Canadians, members of the academe and Filipino community leaders. END
Professor Ocampo poses for a photo with the co-hosts of the lecture at York University, Professor Abidin Kusno (fourth from left) and Dr. Phillip Kelly (third from left); and officers of the Philippine Consulate General-Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez (fifth from left), Consul Edna May G. Lazaro (beside Prof. Ocampo), Consul Edwin Gil Mendoza (third from right) and Cultural Officer Cecilia Santos (leftmost), Also in photo is Professor Patrick Alcedo, York University’ dance department professor at (fourth from left). (Toronto PCG photo)
Professor Ocampo lectures to a full house at the Munck School of Global Affairs & Public Policy of the University of Toronto. (Toronto PCG photo)
Professor Ocampo is the foremost authority on the Philippines’ national hero Dr. Jose Rizal and renowned for making the study of history accessible to the public and interesting to a wide variety of audiences. (Toronto PCG photo)
For more information, visit www.torontopcg.dfa.gov.ph, www.philcongen-toronto.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinToronto/.